As students, we loved school. We were hard workers, high achievers, pleasures to have in class. Our favorite teachers motivated + challenged us, inflating our love of school, like a heart-shaped balloon that bopped behind us as we pulled it from grade to grade, class to class, and assignment to assignment. For most of our lives, we’ve stayed in school, as students, teachers, and school leaders.

As classroom teachers and school leaders, we learned how deflating school could feel for others. Thus, our mission is to spread our love of school to others through engaging, results-driven programs that help create increased belonging, growth, success, and wellbeing in our school systems.

Our name ‘cor’ is Latin for ‘heart’ (suggested by Maureen, who was formerly a Latin teacher) and is paired with our heart-shaped symbol. Together they reflect the love we have for educators, students, and families. In service to them, we bring heart to everything we do.

james

co-director

“I love school because, at its best, it is a place of joyful and caring connection, learning, and growth.”

Prior to co-founding cor creative partners, James Simons served as a high school principal and dean of students, an instructional coach, a middle and high school English teacher, a visual storyteller, and a writer. In his current role, James coaches school leaders and classroom teachers, facilitates team- and school-level professional development, offers consulting services, and contributes to a community of thought leaders by speaking, producing videos, and writing. James has presented at local and national conferences, and along with Maureen, he has written a book for Solution Tree: Leaders of the Class: Units for Teaching Motivation, Perseverance, Communication, and Collaboration in the Secondary Classroom, due out later this year.

maureen

co-director

“I love school because it is a systemic structure in which we have the opportunity to improve almost every individual’s life. There is almost no other structure in existence with as much possibility to make a difference.”

Maureen Chapman is a lifelong educator who taught for 15 years in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms and spent eight years in school leadership. As a Curriculum Director and the head of an Instructional Leadership team, Maureen oversaw curriculum, resources, student data, instructional coaching, professional development, new teacher induction, and career education. Since co-founding cor creative partners, Maureen has leveraged her experience, expertise, and love of education to her work coaching, consulting, and facilitating professional development programs. Maureen is a sought-after public speaker and author on building leadership skills in the academic setting. Her book with James, Leaders of the Class: Units for Teaching Motivation, Perseverance, Communication, and Collaboration in the Secondary Classroom, is due out later this year.